8 hours 39 minutes| Hachette Audio | Fantasy | 1/02/18
Jude and her twin sister Taryn were taken from the mortal world as children by their mother’s vindictive ex-husband and raised within the gentry of the Faerie world, where they have always been seen as outsiders especially by Cardan–youngest prince of Faerie–who delights in torturing them. Jude has had enough of being a victim and is ready to show she deserves a place in the Faerie courts. Her ambition gets her mixed up in a world of espionage, power plays, violence and oh so many plot twists.
I just ate this story up, which is saying something because I am def not the ideal reader for a book like this. I have always struggled with fantasy and have no base for Faerie mythology, but Holly Black draws the world so vividly I was able to put most of it together and quickly learn the rules of Faerie, If you like lush descriptions of fantastical beasts, clothes and greenery this is your book.
Jude as a protagonist worked for me because I am always here for unlikable #sorrynotsorry female YA anti-heroes. She’s very present in her own story and yes, she makes a lot of really bad terrible impulsive choices, but you still find yourself rooting for her. I was a little nervous about what kind of relationship would develop between Cardan, the titular cruel prince, and Jude but I think Black nails it..
Audiobook narrator Caitlin Kelly is new to me and she is one of those narrators that breathes life into a narration. She pays attention to the dialogue tags and interprets them expertly. Kellly has this great catalog of uncanny male voices, her voice of the haughty prince Cardan was one of my favorite. It just fit the character perfectly. She can even do a little kid voice that didn’t have me lunging for the fast forward button. I don’t know how she isn’t doing all the audiobooks.
This book has been a runaway hit in the YA world and I know doesn’t need anymore positive reviews, but overall I was all in. That said I’m really not sure there is room for three more books in here…
According some Goodreads users this book exists in the world of The Darkest Part of the Forest and Black’s Tithe series. I’ve always strayed away from these books thinking the Faierie thing wasn’t for me, but now that I’ve got one under my belt I may try it again.
Also, obligatory I would literally pay money for more Curse Workers. Is there a GoFundMe ? Patreon ?
I’m a lifelong reader who started blogging about YA books in 2011 but now I read in just about every genre! I love YA coming of age stories, compelling memoirs and genre bending SFF. You can find me talking all things romance at Romance and Sensibility.